Victoria Street, 1886From a little knowledge of the social history of the time together with some speculation we can perhaps imagine how life might have been. It is at this point in the story that I would like to take some poetic licence to explore the hypothetical lives of Edward and his family as they may have been in Victorian times.
Victoria Street, 1886
Not a person of great physical strength Edward was however a man of stout build who quietly prided himself on his stamina. Always willing to give a helping hand where it was needed, he was held in high esteem by all his colleagues. His shock of dark slightly wavy hair and penetrating blue eyes lent warmth to his ever present smile and pleasant manner. Like his father John who had been a miner all his life, Edward worked at the local Colliery but he spent most of his time at the surface now driving the colliery trains. Work schedules did require him to go down to the pit face occasionally but it was not a task he relished. This particular day, wishing to earn some extra money to support his ever growing family he had served a shift at the coal face.
The aches and pains of his daily labours were just beginning to tell on his slowly ageing frame. It had been a long day working in the gloom and dust from dawn until after dark helping to dig out black rocks which would power the industry above his head. Walking wearily home along the dimly lit streets where the buildings, coated in a thick film of grime, huddled together close to the roughly paved road, he turned a corner down the all too familiar row of small drab houses which made up Essington Road. It was a little further to travel than Hallets Row where he had grown up with his parents but living just out of the centre of Wolverhampton he decided would be a better place to raise his children.
As he trudged back with his few pit mates dirty and tired from a strenuous day's work, conversation was typically sparse. The only thought on each man's mind was of a bath, a meagre meal which awaited him and a short night's rest before the cycle would start all over again. Ernie broke the silence to ask Edward about his new arrival. Children were the only bright spot in the otherwise mundane lives of these poor Black Country folk.
"Yowr wife's 'ad another bab 'asn't she?" he asked.
It took a while for Edward to realise he had been asked a question. Deep in thought about how he would find the money to feed yet another child, as it was his eighth, he turned to Ernie and smiled.
"Arthur. Yes, we'll call him Arthur." He replied. "Fine young lad but he looks so frail. Then I suppose all babs do."
Edward and Maria married on 1st April 1861 at St Paul's Church and had their first child sixteen years ago back in 1864. His wife Maria had just given birth to their fifth son on 23rd April 1880. That was the moment when Arthur first saw the light of day although in the ever gloomy twilight surrounding their small house close to the factories belching out their choking smoke by day and night, sunlight was not a pleasure many in the area were to appreciate. Arthur was born at home, delivered by Maria's friendly neighbour. Maria, a small plump lady older looking than her years, was a superstitious sort. Many Black Country superstitions grew up around new babies. It was considered bad luck to weigh a baby at birth or to cut its hair or finger nails before the first birthday. Straight after the birth she had carried him up their narrow flight of stairs to the top most part of the house. She believed it would bring him good luck and success in life as she symbolically helped him start his life climbing in society. She certainly hoped he would see a brighter life than her husband and their parents. What sort of life would Arthur lead she thought. Will he follow in his father's footsteps at that dreadful mine or will he find a new future somewhere free from the dark and dangers of that awful life? Nobody other than her immediate family had seen young Arthur yet since Maria, like all new mothers, wanted to be 'churched' before going to visit friends and family with her new baby.
Edward let himself in through the back door into their small kitchen where Maria was already feeding some of the boys.
"Evening." She welcomed him as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "How was it down the pit today?"
"Don't ask." He retorted dropping his pit bag on the chair at the head of the small wooden table. He went to the tiny enamel sink in the corner to wash away the dirt of the day. As he poured the cold water from the pitcher over his arms it was refreshing to his skin. Being careful not to waste any soap he scrubbed at the black marks to remove all evidence of the day. "I am too old for that sort of work. It's young man's work. Give me the train any day." He stretched and twisted to relieve the knots which were tightening all around his back and neck. "How's young Arthur doing on his first week?" He asked as he returned to the table where his wife was nursing the frail looking child close to her body.
"He worries me." She replied. "He is not as strong as his brothers. He just lies here quietly in my arms. He doesn't kick and struggle like John used to. He doesn't even look back into my eyes like the others did. He seems so distant somehow."
"Don't you worry yourself now." Said Edward taking his seat at the table where his oldest sons John and Edward were just starting their dinners. The younger ones had eaten earlier to make way for the second shift who were now working like their father.
Edward broke off a piece of freshly baked bread which was still warm and devoured it in a single mouthful. "I'm hungry tonight." He changed the subject quickly as he eagerly set about the small morsel of pork sitting on the side of his plate next to the mound of potatoes. He was lucky to have some meat. There was none for the younger children. Being the main bread winner of the family he had to keep up his strength. If he was not fit to work, they would all starve. Turning to his eldest son John, he asked him about his new job at the builders yard.John, in keeping with tradition, had been named after his grandfather. Just over a year ago he had started out in the wide world trying to earn his keep and help support the family which had nurtured him so well whilst he was at school. Unlike their father, the sons had taken more interest in their school studies and wished to find a better life. Not for them the arduous grind of a life down a pit. Besides times were changing and new opportunities were opening up all around the area. Edward and Maria Evans had grown up in Wolverhampton during the second half of the nineteenth century which had seen a tremendous population growth during the Industrial Revolution. The area South of them around Wolverhampton, but perhaps not Wolverhampton itself, had become known as the Black Country. The name most probably originated from the way it was depicted on maps as an area rich in coal and iron ore but it was known more pictorially as the Black Country due to the heavy concentration of dark factories and tall chimneys belching out their black smoggy ashes on the surrounding lands. People had migrated from the rural districts into this new growing conurbation to find work. Even children of those days would work in the factories or the coal mines. But now as transportation systems were slowly developing to meet the needs of the community and new industry was springing up around the area, people's lives and attitudes were changing.
John decided he wanted to be a part of the new rebuilding work which was going on all over the country. The dark depressing slums were being torn down and new houses were being built on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. He would be a painter, a plasterer or even a builder. He wanted to be part of the new world his generation was building for themselves. A few of his friends from school had joined him to train with skilled builders learning new trades. They would escape the city and its slums. Perhaps they might even get away from the city altogether to some new place although none of them had ever been further afield than Walsall. At school they had learnt about Queen Victoria's Empire and had been told of new lands over the oceans where people were starting out, pioneering new frontiers.
Edward's second son was sitting quietly at the other end of the table to his father deep in thought. "And what about you young Edward?" asked his farther with pride. He had always favoured Edward. He had even had him christened after himself. "What have you been doing today down at your factory." Spending all day at the mines, Edward had never really understood what people did with all that coal and iron which his generation dug out of the ground.
"Its the Crown works." He corrected his father politely. "We make things out of the iron." Edward had only been there a few weeks and it was all new to him. Having just left school it was a big shock for a young lad to suddenly find himself in an adult world of noise and bustle. But he was proud to be part of a new company.
"Make things?" asked Edward again intrigued to know more. He had little education and the long hours down at the mine meant he knew little of the ways in which his world was changing. Children are so different today from his childhood he thought. It pleased him though to think that they were all finding brighter futures with more hope and opportunities than he ever had.
"Look there." Said young Edward pointing to their bath tub in the corner by the dying embers of the coal fire. "Our bath tub. What do you think that is made of? They call it galvanised iron and its made in the factory where I work." He smiled with pride as he started to explain things using his new found knowledge. He was a trainee at the Crown Galvanised Iron works down on the Cannock Road near its junction with the Great Western Railway. His job was to help the men by moving the material around the factory but he was quick to learn and eager to make a name for himself. He was diligent and took his new tasks very seriously.Edward and Maria's other two younger sons Thomas and Joseph who had eaten earlier and were out in the small back yard playing with their sisters Esther, Annie and Alice. It was a large family now for such a small house. They were a happy unit though, caring and obedient to their parents always willing to give a hand when it was needed. Soon they would fly the nest and find places for themselves. Edward and Maria knew that one day they would have the place all to themselves but it would be a quiet empty little home when they were all gone.
Arthur was to see sadness in his early life and in fact through most of his life. Soon after he was born, his father contracted a debilitating illness caused by the dust and dank air in the mines. He had tried for a short while to work on at the pit head railway but eventually he was forced to leave work. He was too weak to help much around the house leaving Maria struggling to look after their few remaining children and to pay the bills.
"I don't know how we are going to manage?" He shared with Maria. Now that the children have gone there was less money coming into the house and he was less able to help with the housework.
"Don't worry, we'll manage somehow." Said Maria, ever the optimist. "Perhaps we can move away somewhere new." It was a worthless idea for they had nowhere to go, knew nobody and besides housing out of town was becoming too expensive now.By the time Arthur was a teenager and thinking about work, his older brothers had all left home and moved away but they did return from time to time to help where they could. John had emigrated to America to set himself up in the Hotel business. Arthur's eldest sister, trained as a hairdresser and had also emigrated, to Australia with her husband Dick Hollice fragmenting the family ever further. Arthur was just finishing his education so Maria hoped he would find a good job near by and not too arduous for his weak frame to manage.
Edward heard of a man in the centre of Wolverhampton who worked for the transportation company. He was looking for workers on the expanding bus and tram services. It was perfect for young Arthur. He had a keen interest in vehicles and as a child had spent many hours in the back yard playing with his models. A job on the trams would be ideal although he realised then that it would mean very early starts each day.
"It will be sad to see you leave." Said Maria as Arthur informed his parents that he was moving up to town to be closer to his works. He had found himself a place along St John's street near the city centre. It was close to where his tram left in the morning and it would save him that long walk every day. His parents understood but now that the last of their children was leaving, life would not be the same. Their small house which had once seen the noise and bustle of a thriving family had slowly and surely become quieter and quieter until now in their old age they were to be left alone.Arthur loved his job riding as a conductor on the trams which daily shuttled back and forwards to the centre of Wolverhampton. The mornings were difficult especially in the dark damp winters since the air hung heavily on his weak lungs. He put a brave face on things as he immersed himself in a job which he visibly enjoyed. He made many friends amongst the travellers who regularly boarded his tram. One such traveller was a young but assertive Annie Birch. She worked in the centre of town where her father was on the Town Council. Arthur would spend a little longer collecting her fare.
"Fares please mam." He would ask politely. "Fine weather we are having?" He engaged her in trivial conversation planning the moment when he would find the courage to ask her out. She had an enchanting smile and encouraged by her friendly responses he was soon to be taking her out to the local theatre and cafés. It was not much longer afterwards that marriage thoughts were in the air and finally Arthur picked up enough courage to ask Annie to marry him.
Unfortunately Arthur's father was not to see the last of his family happily married off as he died a few years earlier.
So Arthur, alone in the world in a small rented room along St John's Street in the centre of the City longed for a place he could call his own where he too could raise a family. The new century was to bring hope for many in this bleak black area of the country. Arthur had been born in the era of the great depression of mid-1880s but by the turn of the century the City had changed much and prosperity had come to many people. In November 1866 Queen Victoria paid a visit to the town to unveil a statue on High Green in memory of her husband Prince Albert. As Britains longest reigning monarch, Victoria, brought the country to its position as a global power.
On 17th June 1900, at the age of 20 he married the girl of his dreams at their local church of St Peter's in the centre of Wolverhampton. He wished his parents could have seen them as they made their way down the aisle, his father and mother would have been so proud of him.
Shortly after Arthur's marriage the Queen died and the Coronation of Edward VII brought a new vision to people.
Edward and Maria Evans and their family would have lived in Wolverhampton in the second half of the nineteenth century which saw a tremendous growth of the area during the Industrial Revolution. The area South of them around Wolverhampton, but perhaps not Wolverhampton itself, had become known as the Black Country.
The whole environment, whilst providing work and wealth for the people must have been a darkly depressing place to bring up a family. Health and hygiene were poor and life expectancy was not great. There was even an outbreak of Cholera in 1832 claiming 193 lives. This was just a few years before Edward was born. It heralded the start of very slow period of improvements in the general public health. Unfortunately a second outbreak of Cholera claimed a further 500 lives. Following the Public Health Act of 1848 a horrifying statistic was that one in six children died in their first year and life expectancy in many urban areas was only 19. Chadwick pioneered an action programme on water, sewage and personal cleanliness to aim for a target of 13 more years of life expectancy. The first water works in the area opened in 1847 to be expanded later in 1858. Sewerage problems were not addressed until 1868 when deep sewers were constructed. For personal hygiene, the first public baths were opened in 1850 which were only slight better than the local canals for washing.
Edward and Maria must have grown up in the Wolverhampton area against a background of poor health but a rapidly improving environment. A birth certificate for Edward has not yet been discovered but a marriage certificate between Edward and Maria dated 1st April 1861 shows them to have married at St Paul’s Church, Wolverhampton. They were recorded as living at Halletts Row which, if connected with present day Halletts Drive is very close to the centre of Wolverhampton. Edward's Father was John Evans, which perhaps identifies the reason behind the naming of Edward’s first son. John, like his son Edward was a miner. Working back at about 20 to 25 years between generations, we can deduce that John may have been born around 1800 to 1820.
By 1861 the adult male population of the Wolverhampton district had reached almost 34,000 with over 10,000 working with iron and tin or other minerals. A further 5,000 were miners. These professions accounted for almost half the workforce of the area. Mining may have started around Sedgely as early as the thirteenth century but it was only as the iron industry began to prosper that coal mines grew in the area.
The industry of the area had been built on the shallow coalfields in which they worked. The days when John was a miner would have involved strenuous, dirty and dangerous work. Several mining disasters, fires or cave ins, around the country killed hundreds of miners. It would have been shortly after Sir Humphry Davy invented the miner’s lamp (1815). Lord Ashley’s 1842 Mines Act prohibited the employment of children or females underground. The industry saw periods of recession and several devastating strikes such as the one in August 1842 which led to their charter and the establishment of a miners union. We have no knowledge of how Edward and John would have been affected by these cycles of boom and depression but they would certainly have been involved through their lives and the way they lived.
Miners in the nineteenth century would work around 66 hours a week. The day would begin about 5AM with a journey to the pit. It would be a long day working right though until 6 at night with barely a chance for a break during the day, returning to cramped housing. The local public houses, of which there were many in the area, would have been popular places to meet and enjoy life. Saturday would have been even more popular coming just after pay day. It was not unusual for many miners to take unpaid leave on a Monday to recover from the revelries of the weekend. It has been said that for people of the 1800s, drink was not a luxury but a necessity.
From early maps it can be seen that the newly built terrace houses in which our family lived were surrounded by fields and many small allotments. People may have gone there to work on their small plots growing vegetables or flowers. The average wage for people working in the local industries was fairly constant over most of the 1800s to the end of the century. Statistics show that 25/- to 30/- would be the normal weekly wage (£1.50p or about $2). A typical family of husband and wife with 2 children at school would expect to spend around 26/- a week just to live.
Weekend markets in Wolverhampton would also become the focus of life with much dancing and singing perhaps with the help of a fiddler or piper. National holidays were few with 3 days at Christmas, 3 in summer and a few days for the August races. By the 1870s shifts had been reduced to 8 or 9 hours a day.
A popular custom in Black Country towns when there was a wedding would be to follow the service with a sporting event such as a football match. It would have been tradition for the bride to provide the ball, a 'bride ball'. A large number of people from the local towns would join in. Perhaps Maria provided such a ball at her wedding. Mothering Sunday, in the middle of Lent was a time of great respect for the church and the home. Families would eat special food including Simnel cake, believed to be named after a couple Sim and Nell who could not agree on the recipe. People would also eat grey peas if they were poor, fig pies or even roast veal then custard pie baked in layers with fruit and know as laid pie.
Black Country folk of the nineteenth century were a superstitious breed with a strong belief in fairies. Bits of cake would be left about the house as payment for the fairies who would help with the household chores. Even down the mines Colliers believed fairies would warn them of pending disasters, help with the digging or if they were in a bad mood they may even hide their tools and make strange noises. For this reason they would be referred to as knockers. There were many superstitious customs around weddings and houses intended to ensure good luck and fortune for those inside. This led to local expressions like
'Marry in May, rue the day'
Or to bring luck to the married couple they must wear,
'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'.
One spring custom of Ascension time was the beating of the bounds where the church party would walk around the parish and read the Gospel at strategic points such as large oak trees, hence the Gospel Oak. The lane leading from Wolverhampton to Cannock along which our family lived was one such route.
Maria’s Father was William Bolton, a builder, although no more is known of her side of the family. Interestingly a witness to the wedding was a Sarah Evans who may perhaps have been the mother of Edward. Again a search of the 1881 census does show several possibilities for this generation. A John and Sarah Evans were living at 73 Dial lane West Bromwich. They were born in 1803 and had another son, perhaps the brother of Edward's called Elijah who was 38 and unmarried. His job was a puddler, which may have been applied to one who worked at the canals filling in holes with clay to prevent the water from leaking out, or more likely he would have worked with wrought iron. John was an engine driver at a mine colliery again showing the strong links with transportation. Establishing these facts takes the search back to the start of the 19th century but the facts remain tenuous.